Passengers flying on EU airlines might soon enjoy the perk of carrying handbags up to 7kg without incurring additional fees if a new law under consideration is passed.

The EU Parliament’s transport committee has given the thumbs-up to an amendment that would make charging for small carry-on bags a thing of the past on Tuesday.

Several airlines, including Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air, charge for larger cabin bags (those meant for the overhead locker) as part of their standard fares. These airlines only include a small under-seat bag in the basic ticket price. Other airlines like British Airways and Jet2 still include a larger cabin bag in their standard fares.

Officials say that passengers should be entitled to one free cabin bag weighing up to 7kg and not exceeding 100cms, along with another smaller personal item that can fit under the seat. This potential policy will be applicable to all flights to and from the EU, which covers routes between the EU and the UK as well.

An overwhelming majority of MEPs voted in favour of amending EU passenger rights laws, adopting a position on a new passenger rights bill with 38 votes in favour, two against, and two abstentions.

The finer details are still up for debate by the individual EU member states prior to being finalised, yet Spain has signalled a positive stance towards the amendments.Nonetheless, there are concerns within the aviation industry that this rule change could lead to increased fares for everyone, even those travelling light.

Ourania Georgoutsakou, the Managing Director of Airlines for Europe, highlighted to Politico the need for passenger choice in paid services, stating: “The European Parliament should let travellers decide what services they want, what services they pay for and, importantly, what services they don’t.”

Airlines for Europe conveyed to the EU transport committee members that their aircraft, typically seating 180 passengers, can only accommodate about 90 trolley bags in the overhead lockers, indicating difficulties in complying with the new regulation. The EU transport committee has said that airlines shouldn’t impose charges for choosing seats.

For children up to the age of 12, and it wants to introduce a common form for compensation and reimbursement requests.

European consumer rights organisation BEUC welcomed the committee’s “unequivocal stance” in favour of allowing passengers to bring both a personal item and hand baggage free of charge. Steven Berger, BEUC’s senior legal officer said: “This is a basic consumer expectation, and it fully aligns with the Court of Justice’s ruling that reasonable-sized hand luggage cannot be subject to additional fees.”

In May, BEUC filed a complaint asking the European Commission and consumer protection authorities to investigate EasyJet, Norwegian Airlines, Ryanair, Volotea, Vueling, Transavia, and Wizz Air, arguing that their hand baggage pricing practices were illegal.

The transport committee has agreed to move directly into final negotiations with national governments.